Mack Connect brings confidence for Cowan Systems.

With more than 90 years of success in the transportation industry, Baltimore-based Cowan Systems knows how to manage their fleet, and they’re committed to providing state of the art equipment for their professional drivers. That commitment now extends to advanced vehicle and operations monitoring, too.

Cowan specializes in dedicated truckload, intermodal, warehousing, brokerage and driver staffing. While they operate around 2,000 tractors across the United States, their signature "forest green" fleet can be seen most prominently along the East Coast, an area known for heavy traffic routes and urban areas that can take a toll on trucks and drivers alike.

Kyle Webber, fleet technology manager for Cowan Systems, is the man behind the monitors, keeping tabs on the fleet’s performance. Close attention to fuel efficiency and uptime guides their operations and equipment purchasing decisions, both weighing heavily on their selection of 25 Mack Anthem^® day cabs, in operation since early 2024.

Webber says Cowan is actively choosing to deploy their new aerodynamic Anthems in those taxing environments because they’re equipped with the Mack GuardDog^® Connect integrated telematics solution, which provides access to Mack^® Connect with integrated uptime.

Mack Connect is the single source for performance data, location tracking, operational analytics and diagnostic insights in a unified dashboard designed to simplify operations and drive profitability. This innovative solution continues to significantly enhance how fleets manage their Mack-powered trucks by providing visibility into vehicle health and performance.

“Mack Connect gives us more control and confidence to deploy our Mack trucks in demanding markets with more stop-and-go and daily wear-and-tear," says Webber. "Visibility to vehicle health and performance, and insights through the Mack Connect portal, along with our 24/7 connection to Mack's Uptime Center, gives us peace of mind and saves time because we don't have to worry about the condition of our Mack trucks or constantly monitor the units. Mack's Uptime Center seamlessly does that for us, and they contact us if there are any problems."

Connected to Uptime

“I work with several different manufacturers, and what is really unique and interesting about the Mack Connect system is that it’s fairly hands-off once you set it up,” says Webber. “Through Mack Connect you’re connected to Mack’s uptime team in North Carolina, and they’re working for us, reaching out to us to get ahead of potential issues, and they’ve been amazing for service. That’s where there’s a huge benefit.”

“I think the one thing we've been impressed with is the number of down days – not because it's high, but because it's extremely low.”

Webber said it was a conversation with the head of service at their local Mack dealer that helped him understand how the Mack Connect portal brings together Mack’s comprehensive uptime ecosystem, providing visibility and actionable insights to fleet owners, Mack’s uptime staff, and nationwide dealer network.

“He really opened my eyes because he said that it's Mack’s Uptime Center in North Carolina that supports our trucks so we don’t need to monitor them all the time, and Mack Certified Uptime Dealers have fast lane Uptime Bays—quick express lanes that allow drivers to pop in and then keep going, getting trucks back on the road faster.”

“I also have to mention Mack’s Over the Air updates,” says Webber. “In Mack Connect I can push software updates through remotely. You choose if you want to send them to the driver and it gives simple instructions for how to do the update. Of course, if you prefer, Mack’s Uptime team will send updates straight to your drivers and to the trucks.”

Cowan Systems’ Take on Mack Connect

While Cowan’s Anthems are relatively new, Webber says, “We've seen a lot of promise with Mack Connect, and it's something I think has already been successful.”

Mack Connect gathers critical data about a customer's trucks, services and specific applications, translating this information into improved fuel efficiency, safety and productivity. Fleet managers can access asset location, idle time, traffic information, fuel efficiency, safety performance and vehicle speed. Reporting and analytics capabilities enable customers to make data-driven decisions to improve their return on investment and fleet management.

“The whole performance portal is extremely user-friendly, and it's much more advanced and much more thought through than some of the other programs we’ve used.”

The Mack Connect fleet management portal comes standard for two years on all new Mack-powered Model Year 2025 vehicles, enabling digital access to information about Cowan’s Anthems and allowing Webber and the Cowan team to gain insights that help them improve their operations.

“Mack Connect has been a huge benefit to us, and we've really seen tremendous opportunity in our ability to work with the team at Mack,” said Webber. “We really like the portal overall. It's simple, not confusing and the analytics are excellent. We've tested them against our own analytics. We've been able to pinpoint exactly what Mack said and what they're calculating, so we know that they're very accurate. I think that everything that we've seen on the program has just been top-notch.”